3 STEPS BUSINESS OWNERS NEED TO TAKE WHEN MANAGING REMOTE EMPLOYEES
Does the thought of managing a remote team make you nervous? Well, it really shouldn’t! There are so many benefits remote employees can offer your business that it just doesn’t make sense not to take advantage of this convenient work arrangement. Plus, those employees are bound to be happier with added flexibility. So, what are you waiting for? Start using the helpful tips and tricks to build your remote team and drive your business forward.
ASSEMBLE A TEAM OF REMOTE STAFF ALL-STARS
Taking your business to the next level means having the right team of employees to tackle tasks and projects. Fortunately, gathering that team has never been easier, especially when you can use an online freelance jobs site to hire remote staff who can provide the help you need. Simply submit a descriptive job posting to start seeing bids and applications come in. You can use that posting to find graphic designers, virtual assistants, web designers, and just about any other consultant or freelancer you need to complete your small business projects. If you like what those freelancers have to offer and find yourself in need of their services on a regular basis, you can ask about transitioning to full time, but know that some temp or freelance remote workers may not be interested. So, you may also need to go through a more formal recruiting process, like researching and matching salaries or overhauling your employee benefits program, in order to attract the full time remote workers you need.
MAKE SURE TEAM COMMUNICATIONS ARE EFFECTIVE
In order for any team to work well together, they have to be able to communicate. You can always improve communications by using visuals, keeping terminology simple and always expressing appreciation. Since remote workers can present unique challenges to your communications strategy, however, you will likely need to find equally unique solutions to resolve and prevent issues. For example, you can utilize automated transcription programs to record your speech as easy-to-read text, then you can distribute the file among your remote team members. While calls can be expedient and efficient when these services are used, research video conferences options to allow your team to meet “face-to-face” as well. If you’ll be holding video conferencing on your smartphone, it’s crucial to have a dependable wireless carrier to support your efforts. When choosing a provider, look for one with expanded coverage (e.g, Verizon covers 98% of the population in the U.S.), and a fast network.
CALM ANY ANXIETIES ABOUT USING REMOTE WORKERS
With quality employees and efficient communications, you should have a very good starting point for making your remote team work well for your company. Still, if you’v never managed a remote team of staffers and freelancers, it’s normal to have some residual apprehensions, but you have to remember that trust is crucial to helping your new remote staff thrive. As long as you put the time and effort into finding the right people and creating team strategies, you can put any trust issues to rest until you have a solid reason to question the effectiveness any remote work arrangements. Hopefully, that will never be the case, but even with strong staff members and clear communications, letting go of worries can almost feel like letting go of control for many business owners and managers. So, if your remote team’s productivity is a constant stressor, take some steps to give yourself some peace of mind, like project management tools and reasonable check-ins.
Remote teams can bring so many benefits to businesses, especially those with limited budgets. By hiring remote employees, you can avoid overhead costs associated with traditional employees and you can also reduce geographical restrictions on your search for the right talent. Knowing this, and having some helpful remote team management tips and tools, could just be the key to launching your small business to the next level of success!
Many thanks to Ms. Tina Martin for writing this post for me!
so many benefits – https://highfive.com/blog/remote-workforce-benefits
transitioning to full-time – https://smallbusiness.chron.com/procedure-converting-temporary-employee-permanent-14353.html
formal recruiting process – https://www.thebalancesmb.com/top-ways-to-attract-quality-employees-2948197
improve communications – https://smallbiztrends.com/2013/11/20-ways-to-communicate-effectively-in-the-workplace.html
video conferencing options – https://blog.webex.com/video-conferencing/best-video-conferencing-software-in-2019/
Verizon covers – https://www.verizonwireless.com/articles/why-choose-verizon-wireless/
trust is crucial – https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trust-and-virtual-teams_b_58da7e2be4b0e96354656eb5
take some steps – https://activecollab.com/blog/guest-post/make-sure-you-workers-are-working-full-time
